Inside a high-tech building at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, Texas Air National Guard crews fly Predator drones thousands of miles away in Afghanistan. In another, Army reservists train soldiers in a virtual environment using cutting-edge war simulation software.

After losing its fleet of F-16 fighter jets to budget cuts in 2005, Ellington rebounded with a $100 million construction project, a variety of new missions and thousands of additional jobs. But as the Pentagon prepares to slash defense spending by half a trillion dollars over the next 10 years, Ellington’s supporters aren’t taking the base’s future for granted.

City officials, local business leaders and politicians have teamed up to defend Ellington from two more rounds of base closures proposed by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.

Panetta told lawmakers on Capitol Hill last week that the president will ask Congress to authorize the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process in 2013 and 2015.

Advocates say Ellington is better positioned today to survive the cuts thanks to its rebirth as a headquarters for National Guard and Reserve units from all branches of the military. The number of troops stationed at the base has jumped from about 1,500 in 2008 to more than 6,000.

It also doesn’t hurt that Ellington’s former F-16 fighter pilots and crews now fly drones overseas, putting the old World War I airbase more in step with the military of the future.

“We’re guardedly optimistic,” said John Martinec, director of Ellington Field Task Force.

‘It’s not a given’

Formed through the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, the task force lobbied and testified against the decision to retire Ellington’s F-16s in 2005. Ellington lost the jets but gained Navy, Army and Marine Corps Reserve units and the Coast Guard.

Ellington Field is in a much stronger position than it was during the last round of closures, but it will take an active, coordinated effort to ensure the base stays open, said City Councilman Mike Sullivan, whose district includes Ellington.

“It’s not a given that it will stay open,” Sullivan said. “We cannot assume anything at this point. We have to fight as though we are behind and it is susceptible to closure.”

Sullivan has spoken with members of Congress and will ask the city’s lobbying team to make sure it is monitoring the situation in D.C.

“We don’t just need to be concerned about keeping Ellington here, but we have to grow it, we have to expand there so we can be sure that it’s less vulnerable to closure in the future,” he said.

City ‘well-positioned’

In a best-case scenario, the belt-tightening at the Pentagon might boost Ellington’s chances of attracting an active-duty command as other bases close and units relocate.

“Given the new operations and work being done at Ellington and the tremendous resources in the area, I believe Houston is well-positioned to maintain level operations or even improve, depending on how things play out,” said U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land.

The biggest prize for Ellington would be U.S. Africa Command, now located in Germany.

In a letter sent Dec. 29, acting undersecretary of defense Frank Kendall assured Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, that the Pentagon will consider Ellington fully in future basing decisions, particularly as a possible home for AFRICOM.

“The multiple missions Ellington Field carries out are a testament to its strategic capabilities and the support it receives from the surrounding community,” Kendall wrote.

Cornyn, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, believes there is little appetite for another round of base closures, but his office is preparing for the possibility nonetheless.

“I have great pride in Ellington Field and all of our Texas military installations and will be a strong advocate for them as this debate continues,” Cornyn said.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said it is premature to close domestic installations before the military has cut the large number of overseas bases.

“Texas should be in a good position if and when there is a future BRAC, perhaps even to accept new missions as other installations are closed and those missions are moved to bases that provide greater military value,” Hutchison said.